Cover operating means for receptacles



y 0, 1940. K. M. HAMMELL 2,209,693

COVER OPERATING MEANS FOR RECEPTACLES Filed Oct. 4, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 27; Z9 Kemper A7 Ham/76W v l"I @144 0' zw 1 IETE y 4 I K. M. HAMMELL 2,209,693

COVER OPERATING MEANS FOR RECEPTACLES Filed 001. 4, 1939 Q 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F IE5.

Hamper M H0mme// Patented July 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFl'CE' covaa ornnarmc MEANS roa nacar'racws Kemper M. Hainmell, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to The Swartabaugh Manufacturing Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 4, 1939, Serial br -291,329

4 Claims.

pose the hand and arm duringthe opening or closing operation to steam rising from the receptacle.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a connection between the cover and its operating means and hinge which is capable of being easily and quickly disconnected and also reassembled without the use of tools to facilitate washing of the different parts and maintaining a sanitary condition.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, and from the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a rear perspective elevation of a cooker embodying the invention, with the cover closed; Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof, with the cover in open position; Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary rear elevation of the cooker, with a part in section on the line 3-3 in Fig. 4; Fig. 4

l is a fragmentary section on the line 4-4 in Fig.

open cover position and with the cover removedtherefrom.

Referring to the drawings, I designates the body of a receptacle, such for instance as an ,electric cooker, and 2 the cover thereof. The

cover is shown as having a bottom or lower edge flange 3 angling outwardly and downwardly and adapted to seat in a recess 4 provided around the' inner top edge of the receptacle body wall (Fig.4)

A U-shaped housing I is attached to the rear open end of the housing I is closed by a mating housing 8 which has the rearwardly extending arcuate enlargement ll.

A housing I! is fixed to the rear edge portion of the cover 2, being secured thereto, in the prescut instance, by screws i3, and projects-rearwardlytherefrom in covering relation to the up- ,per end of the'housing 8. The rear edge of the housing I! overhangs the arcuate upper rear edge portion of the housing 8, and the downwardly l0 extending side walls .ll of the housing l2 overlap the side walls 9 of the housing 1, so that the housing I! may swing rearwardiy and downwardly over the upper end of the housing 8 when the cover is raised. The housing I! has lugs lBpro- T jecting downwardly from its top portion near its inner end to form shoulders l0 facing the adjacent edge of the cover. The ends of the lugs ii are preferably tapered upwardly and forwardly, as shown at H, 'for the purpose hereinafter de- 21. scribedr A cover actuator of lever form is fulcrumed within the upper end of the housing I to the side" walls 9 thereof and has its forward end, in the present instance, detachably connected to the cover 2 within the housing If; This actuator, in its present embodiment, is of substantially flat plate form with ears 21 extending down from its side edges and carrying or receiving the .pivots 22, which pivotally connect the actuator to' the side walls of the housing I. The actuator plate extends forward a greater distance from. the pivot axis than it does to the rear so that it forms a long forward armand a short rearward arm. The front edge of the actuator plate 20 is pro- 36 vided with an upstanding flange 23 to renderthe plate of L-form to facilitate attaching tothe cover, as hereinafter described. The rear end of the actuator plate is attached to the upper end of an actuator rod 26 which extends down within the housingl and pivotally connects at its lower end to'a cam rocker 26 in ofl'set relation to the control shaft 21 carrying such rocker. A suitable universal joint connection 28 is preferably-provided between the rear end of the actuator 20 and the rod 25. The control shaft 21 extends forward through the lower portion of the receptacle body I. being journaled in the front and rear walls thereof, and having an exposed knob or handle 28 at its forward end (Fig. 2). A coiled expansion spring 30 encircles the rod 26 between a fixed stop ll through which the rod projects and a subjacent shoulder 32 on the rod.

- The spring is thus caused to exert a downward w pull on the rod to counterbalance the weight of the cover and to facilitate an opening action.

The cam 26 is prevented from making a complete turn due to the cam projections thereof striking an adjacent side wall 9 of the housing I, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. When the cover is in closed position the pivotal connection between the rod 25 and cam is above the control shaft and in vertical off-center position thereto relative to stop position, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the downward thrust of the spring on the rod 25 will I be prevented from effecting or tending to effect an opening of the cover. full open position, and the cam 28 has reached its lower stop position, as shown in Fig. 5, the

. the forward edge of the actuator plate at its elbow or the pointy of angle of the flange 23 therefrom bears forwardly against the rear edge of the cover in the seat 31 formed by the cover flange 3 at its inner edge. The actuator has in eflfect a sliding connection with the cover and its housing I2, such connecting action being facilitated by the inclined edges ll of the lugs l5, which guide the flange 23 to its locking position with the lug shoulders l6. When the cover and actuator 20 are in fully raised position, the actuator is prevented from further rearward swinging movements and the cover may be easily sprung out of engagement therewith by applying a rearward pressure thereto. This causes the seat 31 at the inner edge of the cover flange I to swing rearward out of holding engagement with the elbow end of the actuator plate and this permits'the flange 23 to move out of engagement with the lug shoulders 16, after which the cover may be drawn outwardly away from the actuator. The cover may be quickly engaged to the actuator by simply placing the cover housing l2 over the actuator when in upturned position, as shown in. Fig. 6,

'and sliding thecover down on, the actuator so that the flange 23 rides upward on the lug incline l1 and into very slight engagement with the shoulder l6, while the elbow endFof the actuator plate is moving into holding engagement with the cover seat 31. I

It is desirable to provide a lost motion connection between the cover 2 and actuator element 20 when the cover is in ciosedor seated position so as to permit the cover to flnd its seat on the body independently of the actuating means. For this purpose, the lugs IS on the cover housing l2 have the free ends at the lower ends of the tapers 11 projected into position so that they are-slightly spaced from the body portion of the actuator 2| when the cover is closed, as shown in Fig.4.

when the actuator is initially moved to raise the cover, its forward end flrst moves slightly upward relative ,to the cover, by reason'of the actuator flange 2fsliding upward on the forward edge of the lug or lugs l5, and it is not-until the actuator has moved in such manner sufficiently for its body portion to engage the projecting ends of the lug or lugs l5, as shown in Fig. 6, that'thel cover begins to raise With this lost motion when the cover is in action between the cover and actuatonit is apparent that when the cover, during a closing movement, has moved to substantially seating position on the receptacle, the actuator, by a slight continuing movement, will move out of engagement withthe lugs l5 and thus, in effect. release the cover so that it may seat squarely on the receptacle without any retarding action due to its connection with the actuating means. It is apparent that when the actuator engages the outer ends of the lugs I5, it has a three-point leverage connection with the cover at points a, b

and c (Fig. 5), and that this is released to permit a free seating ofthe cover on the receptacle when the cover is in closed position. The lost motion connection performs the additional function of.-

slightly lifting thecover during engagement of the actuator so that the housing I2 is raised with ing its swinging movement. The lifting is ac- .complished by the L-shaped actuator moving into engagement first with the lugs l5 and then wedging its extension 23 between the back surface It of the lugs and the cover portion 31. As this last wedging takes place, the cover is slightly raised before it begins to swing with continued movement of the actuator.

In the use of the cover control embodying the invention, a turning of the control shaft 21 'to the right from the position shown in Fig. 3 will impart a downward movement to the rod 25 and an upward rearward swinging of the actuator 20 and attached cover 2 from the closed'positio'n best shown in. Fig. 4. When the cam 26 has reached the position shown in Fig. 5, with the connection between the rod'and cam' just short of vertical centering relation to the shaft axis,

a portion of the cam will have moved into stop engagement with the adjacent wall of the housing 8, thus limiting the opening movement of the Fig. 5 will impart a closing movement to the actuator 20 and through it, to the cover. When it is desired to remove the cover from the actuator 28 to facilitate washing, or for any other purpose,

. cover. A turning of the shaft 21 and its cam to the left from the open cover position shown in the cover is flrst swung to' its full open position and the operator then grasps the cover and swings it rearward relative to the actuator as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 7, so as to disconnect the cover and its housing I2 from the actuator.

- It is apparent that with the use of my control,

the o rator can easily and quickly open the cover of a cooker, or other receptacle, by simply turning the control knob 29 and without taking hold of the cover. In fact, with the illustrated embodiment of the inventioniit isimpossibie to open the cover by grasping it by hand. This prevents the danger-of burning the operator either by reason of grasping a highly heated cover or by moving the hand and arm over the top of the receptacle and in the path of emitting steam dur- Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is: i

1. In a receptacle of the class described, a body having an open top, a cover for said body having arearwardly extending open bottom part at its rear edge with a downwardly extending lug therein and having a seat/in its rear edge below said part, an actuator pivoted to said body adjacent to its upper rear edge, said actuator being of lever form with asho'rt arm extending rearwardly from its pivot and with its long arm extending forwardly in seating engagement with said cover seat and with its free end extending upward from such seat in holding engagement with the front side of said lug, said cover being releasable from said actuator by forcefully swinging the cover in an openingdirection relative to theactuator, and manually operable means connected to the short arm of said actuator and operable to swing the cover to open position or from open position to closed position.

2. In a receptacle of the class described having an open top, a cover therefor and a body casing, a hinge connection between the rear edge portion of the cover and the adjacent portion of the body casing, said connection having a leverarm extending rearwardly of the hinge'pivot, a rotatable control shaft mounted in the lower. portion of said casing forwardly and rearwardly thereof and having a control handle at its front end and a Y rocker plate at its rear end, meanson the easing with which said plate coacts to limit its turning to approximately one half arevolution, a link connecting said lever arm and plate, pivoted to each, with the plate pivot disposed above the control shaft axis and slightly rearwardly of dead center toward the stop means when the cover is in closed position and being below the shaft axis and slightly forwardly of dead center position when the cover is in full open position whereby the cover is locked in closed position, except by rotation of said shaft, but is free in open position, and spring means acting to apply a prede- 45 termine'd cover opening pressure tosaid link connection and serving to hold the plate against its stop in the closed position.

3. In a receptacle of the class described having an open top, a cover therefor and a body casing,

60 a hinge connection between the rear-edge portion of the cover and the adjacent portion of the body casing, said connection having a lever arm extending rearwardly of its hinge pivot, manual control means connected to said lever arm and including a control shaft mounted in the lower portion of said casing forwardly and rearwardly thereof and having a control handle at its front end and a rocker member at its rear end, and a link connecting said rocker member and lever arm to impart opening and closing movements to the cover when the control shaft is turned in one direction or the other, means onthe casing with which said rocker member coacts to limit its tuming to-approximately one-half a revolutiomthe pivotal connection between said Iink'and rocker member being above the control shaft axis and slightly rearwardlyof dead center toward the stop means when the cover is in closed position and being below the shaft axis'and slightly forwardly of dead center position when the cover is in full open position whereby the cover is locked in closed position, except by rotation. of said shaft, but is not locked in open position, and spring means acting on said control means to counter-balance the weight of the cover during opening and clos-- ing movements thereof, and to urge the rocker member against its stop in closed position.

4. In a receptacle of the class described having an open top, a cover therefor and a body casing, a hinge connection between the rear edge portion of the cover and the adjacent portion of the body casing, a rotatable control shaft mounted in the lower portion of said casingforwardly and rearwardly thereof and having a control handle at its front end and a rocker plate at its rear end, stop meansto limit the rotation of the plate to approximately one-half a revolution, a link conv necting said hinge at a point offset from the hinge plate pivot disposed to one side of the control shaft axis and slightly beyond dead center toward the stop means when the cover is in closed position and being to the opposite side of the shaft axis and slightly forwardly of dead center when the cover is in full open position whereby the cover is locked in closed position, except by rotation of said shaft, but is free in open position, and spring means acting to apply a predetermined coveropening pressure to said link connection and serving to hold the plate against its stop in closed position. 

